Twelve Days And Twelve Books Of Christmas - Day 4

I can't believe how quick these days are going, only 9 days left till Christmas! So today is day 4 of my Twelve Days And Twelve Books Of Christmas feature and my stand out book from April is a trade paper back. 

Day 4 - April Book - The Wicked + The Divine, Vol. 1: The Faust Act by Kieron Gillen

Every ninety years, twelve gods incarnate as humans. They are loved. They are hated. In two years, they are dead. The team behind critically thermonuclear floor-fillers Young Avengers and Phonogram reunite to start a new, ongoing, superhero fantasy with a beautiful, oversized issue. Welcome to The Wicked + The Divine, where gods are the ultimate pop stars and pop stars are the ultimate gods. But remember: just because you're immortal, doesn't mean you're going to live forever. Collects The Wicked + The Divine #1-5

My Thoughts

I was sent the first volume of The Wicked + The Divine as part of a banned books swap that I took part in and though I'd heard loads of hype about it, I had no real idea what it was about as it just had never really appealed to me. I'm a typical super hero comics/trades/graphic novels reader so this was out of my comfort zone and I put it off for quite a while before finally reading it. 

From the witty title to the conversations between characters, the writing is absolutely top class. Everything seemed to work smoothly and the pacing was spot on for me. I loved the premise of Gods coming to Earth to become the most famous people in pop culture every 90 years. I loved the characters, especially Luci! Luci is snarky and interesting and dresses immaculately. 

When talking about this book, I have to mention just how stunning the art is throughout. I thought the people were all incredibly stunning and the colour palette really worked. So a huge shout out to Jamie McKelvie, Matt Wilson and Clayton Cowles. In comics the art is JUST as important as the dialogue and the balance has been struck perfectly in this volume. 

I was so pleasantly surprised about how much I enjoyed this book, it most definitely took me by surprise. I've been a lot more confident stepping out my comfort zone since reading The Wicked + The Divine so it has affected my reading in a positive way. 

So that's my April stand out book, have you ever read The Wicked + The Divine? What did you think? Are you a fan of comics/graphic novels/trades and if so do you have any recommendations for me?

About The Author

Kieron Gillen is a comic book writer and former media journalist.